Piano Lessons in Old Mill Creek, IL

Instruments: Piano

I am a pianist, composer, and educator who strives to bring out the best in all my students. I have composed for film, internet, and theatrical productions and performed across the country in classical and jazz contexts. I hold a masters degree in jazz studies from the Jacobs School of Music, where I studied with Luke Gillespie, Steve Houhgton, and David Baker. In the summer of 2013 I performed with the Disneyland All-American College Band. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I am very passionate about music and I love playing the piano and teaching piano lessons to beginners and intermediate levels. I sang in the choir at my school through high school and performed on the piano and in tone chimes at many tournaments. I majored in music and piano at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. I continue to take voice lessons and advanced piano lessons in order to improve my skills. Read More

Instruments: Piano

My teaching dates back to my high school days, as I began teaching private lessons in my students' homes. I learned as I went along the different ways to engage different types of students, and I loved seeing the growth from week to week. I've found that my students took a lot of pride in learning to play a song they thought was too difficult for them, or in overcoming a specific hurdle. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Music Keyboard

It is important to have a broadened perspective of what it means to be a well rounded musician while having concentrated study in a specific genre or idiom. In my lessons, I strive to cover the major elements required to be a successful trombonist or musician in not only the jazz idiom, but the general music industry as a whole. These subjects include: sight reading, music theory, aural training, music listening, improvisation, composition, arranging, basic music notation, basic music recording techniques, historical and cultural contextualization, music entrepreneurship, and performance edict. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Most important however is that a deepening in the understanding of music should activate a deeper love of music. TO PARENTS: please understand that my goal is to help train your child to be able to see the world through an artistic lens. This is not too lofty a goal, it just takes a lot of patience and a respect for the child's personal intellect. Music great for its own sake, sure; but it is a greater prize that a child should learn how to see life through a spiritually rich perspective. Read More

Instruments: Piano Synthesizer

I want all of my students to enjoy the piano, but my ultimate goal is for all my students to become excellent musicians. Musicianship is the key. I want them to be able to play with excellent time and rhythm, read music, and have ears where they can figure out how to play something by listening to it on the radio. This will allow them to not only be great soloists, but to play in bands and ensembles. Read More

Instruments: Piano

For 5 to 6 year old beginners, I create an individualized lesson plan based on observing the student's learning style, strengths and weaknesses as well as personality. For the first 4 or more lessons, this includes my own big-note, large-symbol work sheets and simple songs. Next, and with older or more advanced students, I use a combination of lesson, technique and performance method books (Faber, Bastien, Hal Leonard), a scale/chording book and adjunct material consisting of songs the student wants to learn such as pop/rock, movie themes, holiday and theme music, and classical, to maintain interest and enjoyment. Read More